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Mingo County, West Virginia
Mingo County is a county located in the State of West Virginia. As of the 2010 census, the population was 26,839. Its county seat is Williamson. Created in 1895,http://www.wvculture.org/history/counties/mingo.html Mingo is West Virginia's newest county, named for the historic Iroquoian Mingo people. (WV County Etymology) History Mingo County is the newest county in the state, formed by an act of the state legislature in 1895 from parts of Logan County. Its founding was related to a legal protest by a moonshiner, who claimed that the Logan County Court that had found him guilty did not have jurisdiction over his case, because his still was actually located in Lincoln County. A land survey was taken and discovered that the defendant was correct. The charges were then refiled in Lincoln County court. Although the moonshiner was ultimately found guilty of his crime, the state legislature was made aware of the situation and determined that Logan County was too large for the expeditious administration of justice and decided to create a new county, called Mingo. The county was named in honor of the Mingo Indians. The attempt to unionize coal miners in the county in the 1920s led to the Battle of Blair Mountain in neighboring Logan County. Politically, Mingo County is well known for its opposition to current President Barack Obama. In 2008, Obama netted only 8 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary, one of his worst performances. In 2012, despite Obama being the presumptive nominee, Democrats in Mingo County voted for Keith Russell Judd, a convicted felon who was the only other candidate on the ballot, over Obama.Mathesian, Charles. How the felon won. The Politico. Retrieved May 9, 2012. In 2014, Mingo County native Jeremy T.K. Farley published "The Ghosts of Mingo County," a history book of what he described as "the bloodiest county in America." The book was met with mixed reviews; some residents stated that publication portrayed the county as being too lawless, while others believed the book accurately told the county's history.Wytheville Enterprise Wythe County official pens history of coalfields struggle. Geography According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of , of which is land and (0.2%) is land. Major highways * U.S. Highway 52 * U.S. Highway 119 * West Virginia Route 49 * West Virginia Route 65 * West Virginia Route 80 Magisterial Districts * Beech Ben Mate District * Kermit Harvey District * Lee District * Magnolia District * Stafford District * Tug Hardee District * Williamson District Historical Magisterial Districts * Hardee Magisterial District * Harvey Magisterial District * Kermit Magisterial District * Tug River Magisterial District Adjacent counties *Lincoln County (north) *Logan County (northeast) *Wyoming County (east) *McDowell County (southeast) *Pike County, Kentucky (west) *Martin County, Kentucky (west) *Wayne County (northwest) *Buchanan County, Virginia (southeast) Demographics 1790-1960 1900-1990 1990-2000 2010-2013 }} As of the census of 2000, there were 28,253 people, 11,303 households, and 8,217 families residing in the county. The population density was 67 people per square mile (26/km²). There were 12,898 housing units at an average density of 30 per square mile (12/km²). The racial makeup of the county was 96.39% White, 2.34% Black or African American, 0.24% Native American, 0.21% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.06% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. 0.48% of the population were Hispanic or Latino of any race. There were 11,303 households out of which 33.50% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 56.20% were married couples living together, 12.70% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.30% were non-families. 25.20% of all households were made up of individuals and 10.40% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.49 and the average family size was 2.98. In the county, the population was spread out with 24.20% under the age of 18, 9.20% from 18 to 24, 29.10% from 25 to 44, 25.00% from 45 to 64, and 12.40% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 37 years. For every 100 females there were 93.70 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.20 males. The median income for a household in the county was $21,347, and the median income for a family was $26,581. Males had a median income of $31,660 versus $18,038 for females. The per capita income for the county was $12,445. About 25.90% of families and 29.70% of the population were below the poverty line, including 38.90% of those under age 18 and 18.60% of those age 65 or over. Communities Cities and towns *Town of Delbarton *Town of Gilbert *Town of Kermit *Town of Matewan *City of Williamson Below is partial listing of known unincorporated communities within Mingo County. A complete listing is available here Unincorporated communities *Baisden *Bias *Borderland *Breeden *Chattaroy *Dingess *Edgarton *Gilbert Creek *Isaban (part) *Justice *Lenore *Meador *Naugatuck *Newtown *Nolan *Ragland *Taylorville *Rawl *Red Jacket *Varney *Wharncliffe *Wilsondale *Williamson Notable residents *Don Blankenship, president and CEO of Massey Energy *H. Truman Chafin, state senator *Doc Edwards Former Major League Baseball catcher and manager *Robert H. "Doc" Foglesong, four-star general in the United States Air Force *James H. "Buck" Harless, a timber and coal operator via International Industries *Sid Hatfield, Matewan chief of police and hero of the Battle of Matewan, murdered by Baldwin-Felts "detectives" *Anse Hatfield, feud leader See also * Elk Creek Wildlife Management Area * Laurel Lake Wildlife Management Area * National Register of Historic Places listings in Mingo County, West Virginia References External links *Mingo County official website *Mingo County Board of Education *Mingo County History *East Fork VFD at Dingess, WV Category:Counties of West Virginia Category:Mingo County, West Virginia Category:1895 establishments in the United States Category:Secession in the United States Category:Counties of Appalachia